GONE WITH THE WIND AT 75

 

Margaret Mitchell Gala

 

By Doc Lawrence 

Margaret Mitchell was no ordinary writer. The one book she published in her lifetime, Gone With the Wind, sold millions of copies at the height of the Great Depression in America and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. Currently, with over 30 million copies sold, it is one of the world's best-selling novels. Equally impressive, the film adaptation of Gone With the Wind broke all box office records when it premiered in 1939, and received 10 Academy Awards.

But who was the creator behind two of the world's greatest lovers Scarlett and Rhett and the tumultuous romance that left book readers and film viewers wondering about their final fate together in one of storytelling's most talked about cliffhangers?

This month, on the 75th anniversary of her landmark book, Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel, has its world premiere: an original film that proves that along with being no ordinary writer, Margaret Mitchell was no ordinary woman.

The new Georgia Public Broadcasting original documentary, Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel profiling the life of the late author is set to debut at a glamorous and exciting evening  at The Georgian Terrace Hotel, the site of the legendary gala dinner following the premiere of Gone With the Wind in Atlanta in 1939. The 1939 dinner menu will be re-interpreted by executive Chef Zeb Stevenson and his staff from the hotel’s acclaimed restaurant Livingston.

Everything begins on June 9 at 7pm and will feature a Margaret Mitchell retrospective of photos, letters, and personal items; The Atlanta Ballet’s Nadia Mara and Heath Gill will perform the infamous Apache Dance which cost Mitchell her membership in the Junior League; a video presentation of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra fanfare, composed by Jennifer Higdon, will be played in celebration of GPB’s 50th Anniversary; Mitchell’s favorite gospel hymns will be sung by a local Baptist choir; and of course, the schedule will include clips of the documentary. The historic evening will be peppered with dramatic readings from the works of Margaret Mitchell and capped off by dancing to the music of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s

Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel premieres Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 8 p.m.